# Note that the search feature has changed **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [October 21, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935 "2021-10-21T17:51:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/1 "2021-10-21T17:51:55Z")
The new Discourse search function has finally migrated here. Pay attention to what you’re clicking on or you’ll wind up searching the wrong forum/tag/user. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/2 "2021-10-21T17:58:36Z")
Yes. There used to just be a checkbox for “search this thread.” Now you must specifically choose “in this topic” or “in all topics and posts” every time (when searching from within a thread). ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/3 "2021-10-21T17:59:57Z")
Actually it defaults to In this Topic now. I was just playing with it. Never mind, I see what you mean. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/4 "2021-10-21T18:10:38Z")
Specifically, if you type in your search term and just press Enter you will search the entire board. Since this is Site Feedback, I suggest that the devs make the default specific instead of general. After all, Discourse has “trained” us all this time to go to the thread or category or user we wanted to search if we wanted quick, specific searches. Now they’ve reversed that (though the option is still there). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/5 "2021-10-21T20:11:47Z")
I’m not at my computer. How does Ctrl-F interface with this? Before that always searched within the “topic” (thread) in order to mimick the “Find in Page” option people would normally expect. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/6 "2021-10-21T20:12:36Z")
Ctrl-F seems to be back to the Web Browser Find again like it should be. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/7 "2021-10-21T20:15:16Z")
It really shouldn’t—not in threads. Threads are dynamically loaded, meaning the browser default will only work on the few posts currently loaded. Basically it searches the posts that you can see, and not the rest. That isn’t what the user expects. Ctrl-F everywhere else should be the browser default, but not in threads, IMNSHO. It should search all the posts in a thread, like it would on any other forum. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/8 "2021-10-21T20:23:13Z")
How do you expect Ctrl-F to work on a continuous scroll page though? In order to search the whole thread, that would mean every post would have to be downloaded every time you clicked a thread. Not very practical for big threads. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/9 "2021-10-21T20:33:23Z")
The way it has worked since we got here. It just did an on page thread search. It would pop up a small search box over the page that would search the thread and then show the results beneath it. This was one thing that made me think the designers of Discourse had put a lot of thought into things. They knew the browser’s default find would be useless, so they replaced it with something useful. I use it a lot, particularly in the omnibus threads to make sure something I’m going to bring up hasn’t already been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/10 "2021-10-21T20:36:19Z")
Ok, I thought when I use Ctrl-F, it was my computer that was searching the page, and not the website. I never tried Ctrl-F here. so I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/11 "2021-10-21T21:25:00Z")
CTRL+F should bring up an in this thread search if the thread is long enough. If you hit CTRL+F again or if it’s a short thread, and you’ll get the browser search box. Try it in this thread, then try it in a thread with a few hundred posts. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/12 "2021-10-22T04:51:59Z")
I just tried CTRL F and it’s just like searching on any other website. I think that’s an improvement over Discourse hijacking that menu option. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/13 "2021-10-22T05:01:41Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > I just tried CTRL F and it’s just like searching on any other website If you tried it in this thread, that is because the thread was short enough for the whole thing to be loaded. If you try it in a longer thread, it’ll be different. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2021, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/note-that-the-search-feature-has-changed/952935/14 "2021-10-22T05:06:32Z")
You’re correct. I just tried it with a thread of 91 posts.